Day: December 9, 2012

Drinking water does not ease dehydration, the European Union has ruled – and anyone who disagrees faces two years in prison.

The decision – after three years of discussions – results from an attempt by two German academics to test EU advertising rules which set down when companies can claim their products reduce the risk of disease.

The academics asked for a ruling on a convoluted statement which, in short, claimed that water could reduce dehydration.

Dehydration is defined as a shortage of water in the body – but the European Food Standards Authority decided the statement could not be allowed.

The ruling, announced after a conference of 21 EU-appointed scientists in Parma and which means that bottled water companies cannot claim their product stops people’s bodies drying out, was given final approval this week by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

Yesterday, Tory MEP Roger Helmer said: ‘This is stupidity writ large. The euro is burning, the EU is falling apart and yet here they are worrying about the obvious qualities of water. If ever there were an episode which demonstrates the folly of the great European project, then this is it.’

As the trapped-within-the-EU friend who alerted me to this pointed out:

Just wait, in four or five years you have the same stupidity.

Hey, with our EPA and Obamacare now being implemented… less than a year, tops. Obama’s that good.

The Panthers play the Falcons today here in Charlotte in hopes of avenging their heartbreaking loss from Week 4 where they let a lead slip away in the final few minutes of the game. If memory serves me correctly, the Cats played well in that game until the final 2 or 3 minutes. Then again, our biggest problem for the last year-plus under Coach Ron Rivera has been the failure to “finish strong.” They’ve looked better in the last three weeks, especially as Cam Newton looks to be finding his rhythm, so maybe we’ll see a different (better) outcome today than we did in the first meeting.

Sidenote: It has rained some off and on today so the field will be a bit soggy, for what it’s worth.

I don’t have my football picks with me for today but I’m pretty sure I picked the Falcons (11-1) over the Panthers (3-9) because the Falcons clearly are the better team. But I’ll still be rooting for the Panthers, especially after reading this:

The Panthers harassed Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan in the first meeting, sacking him seven times in Atlanta’s 30-28 win. The total tied a Panthers’ record and was the most allowed by Atlanta in Ryan’s five seasons. After the game, Fox cameras caught Ryan yelling: “Get the (expletive) off the field!” Several Panthers’ players said they haven’t forgotten Ryan’s comment and planned to make him pay. Defensive end Greg Hardy vowed to put Ryan “on the ground … where he belongs.” Buckle up.